Serum concentrations of lipid bound sialic acid and acute phase proteins in patients with cancer and nonmalignant disease.

Levels of serum lipid bound sialic acid (LSA) were determined in lung cancer and the inflammatory reaction associated with pneumonia, rheumatoid arthritis and surgical wounding. The mean levels of serum LSA were raised in all these disorders and levels were closely correlated with serum alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) r = 0.9. Levels of AGP and LSA rose and fell in parallel following cholecystectomy. The major influence on the concentration of serum lipid bound sialic acid is the intensity of the response to inflammation.